The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said small children and the elderly were the members of society most vulnerable to A(H1N1) swine flu and urged those who have not received vaccine shots to do so as soon as possible.
A recent study on last year’s flu vaccinations commissioned by the CDC and conducted by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital showed that those who were inoculated were 2.8 times more likely to still have immunity against the virus over those who were not vaccinated.
The hospital said an estimated 30 percent of the population are immunized against A(H1N1) because of a previous infection or vaccination shot, but to be on the safe side against a widespread outbreak, between 40 percent and 50 percent of the population needs to have immunity.
The study also showed that of the more than 1,500 people whose blood samples were taken as part of the study, only one out of four children under the age of four had immunity against the strain.
Those aged 12 to 18 had the highest proportion of immunity, at 60 percent, while senior citizens over the age of 65 had the lowest proportion, with only 14 percent immunized against the virus.
CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ting (林頂) said it was essential for small children and the elderly to receive vaccinations this year because people in these two groups were at the highest risk of developing fatal complications from influenza and had the highest rate of hospitalization.
The CDC has purchased almost 3 million flu shots this year, but so far only 1.93 million shots have been administered. An estimated 22 percent of children between the ages of six months and three years have received the vaccinations this year, about half the vaccination rate for the same period last year, Lin said.
Lin said the country was about to enter the peak flu season and urged the public to receive flu shots as soon as possible because it takes two weeks for the body to develop immunity after receiving the inoculation.
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